Page 59 of Indebted to the Vampires (House of Durand)

Drake and Allister nodded, handing over their menus, but Rayne held his hand up. “No, I want the Melanzana alla Parmigiana and a nice Sangiovese. Just bring the bottle. Please give Miss Billings the same thing.”

Richard took Rayne’s word for it and didn’t even ask my opinion before he took the remaining menus and disappeared into the back. My jaw clenched, and I prepared to ream into him, but a waitress came next, giving us water and a plate of bread. I jiggled my foot and gripped my knife in my hand, waiting for her to stop eying the guys and leave. Not that they were doing a good job of getting rid of her as Drake kept asking her questions.

When she finally left, I picked my knife up and pointed it at Rayne. “I am not your pet. I can order my own food.”

“We both know you can’t afford this place—” Rayne started.

“That’s beside the point.”

“So, you should trust me to pick something you will like. I am paying after all.” He paused as another waiter came out and poured the wine. Rayne swirled it around and gave it a sniff before sipping it. He nodded, and the waiter poured for everyone at the table.

Ignoring the glass, as soon as the waiter left, I snapped, “I didn’t ask to come here. I can buy my own food or just eat at home. Stop treating me like some kind of doll you can dress up and feed whatever you want.”

I expected Drake or at least Allister to jump in and help me out, but both of them were more than content to sit back and watch us snipe at each other. Freaking traitors.

“As far as I’m concerned, you are that,” Rayne began but then held his hand up to stop me from arguing. “However, Antoine wants us to get along. To put our unpleasantness behind us. So... maybe, for a moment, you can stop finding reasons to hate me and take this meal and the clothes as a peace offering.”

If this were a cartoon, my jaw would have hit the table. “A peace offering? Hate you? You’re the one who has had it in for me since day one.”

“That’s true,” Drake pointed out helpfully, earning him a look from Rayne. “What? It is.”

“Fine,” Rayne conceded. “We are both at fault, but this is our chance to remedy it before the party tomorrow. You don’t want to show any weakness in front of these people.Wecan’t afford to show any weakness, and you are a weakness.”

“I am not.”

“A little help here?” Rayne took a drink from his glass, no longer willing to argue with me.

I stared hard at the twins, daring them to tell me I was wrong. Allister avoided my gaze, picking his own wine glass up and busying himself with it.

Drake had no such issues. “You’re unpredictable and undisciplined. Which we like,” Drake added quickly, “but will make us look bad to the other masters.”

“Masters?” I paused. “Who exactly is coming to this party?”

“Several of our fellow brothers.” Drake’s eyes moved around the table, looking for someone to add to it.

Something about the way he said it made me think of something. “Hold on a moment. I thought you guys were brothers, but you’re not, are you?”

“Not in the traditional sense,” Drake answered.

Allister added, “We are blood brothers.”

“We all have the same sire or maker, whatever you want to call it.” Rayne tapped his fingertips on the table, impatient to get on with it. “Every once in a while, he, our maker, decides to send one of his other... children to check up on the different factions.”

“The Durands being the main one here,” Drake continued for Rayne. “However, the person they’re sending...”

“Valentine,” Allister interjected with a displeased frown.

“... likes pretty women, especially unbroken ones.”

My pulse pounded in my veins at Rayne’s words. “Oh.”

“Yes, oh.”

Shaking my head and forcing myself to breathe, I asked, “Then why not hide me away? Why make a show of me being there at all?”

“Because if there is one thing our kind likes more than anything, it’s taking other people’s toys.” Drake’s lips curled up in a fiend grin. “If we hide you, then he will think you are important. If we put you on display...”

“He’ll ignore me,” I squeaked.

“That is our hope,” Drake agreed.

“At least that’s what Antoine has us believing,” Rayne gave me a cruel grin. “It could just as easily be because he wants to taunt Valentine with what we have that he doesn’t... which, in this case, would be you.”

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